Winter Events to Light Up the Season

VISUAL ARTS 

MENJUNJE/AMALGAMATION
Umbrella Arts
TheUmbrellaArts.org
Through November 16
Reflecting on identity, artist Shelly “Lola” Freund uses brightly colored renditions of her own fingerprints to engage with questions of multiculturalism, social tensions, and the line between assimilation and acculturation. By using her own body as the subject of her work, Freund asks us to consider how identity is categorized and interpreted in our modern world.

RAZZLE DAZZLE
Three Stones Gallery
ThreeStones.com
November 25–December 30
Reception: December 5
The holiday show sparkles with abstract paintings by Martha Wakefield, vivid pastels by Rebecca Clark, charming anthropomorphic animals portrayed in scratchboard by Karen Gaudette, dazzling jewelry by Lyca Blume-Shaw, and a collection of handmade objects by local artisans that includes ceramics, glass ornaments, and textiles. New works by represented artists complete this festive show.

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
Wee Forest Folk
WeeForestFolk.com
December 8 
Enter the magical world of these exquisite miniatures, handcrafted locally since 1972. Enjoy delicious treats as you shop for gifts and learn about the local family who crafts these adorable treasures.

Courtesy of Wee Forest Folk

ON BEING HUMAN
Umbrella Arts
TheUmbrellaArts.org
Through December 20
Utilizing a wide range of materials, mosaic artist Cynthia Fisher seeks to elevate mosaic beyond the world of craft and into fine art. Through her works, she explores our environmental impact on the planet, addressing not only the greatness of human life but our responsibility toward the natural world. 

VERTICAL GALLERY ACTIVATION
Umbrella Arts
TheUmbrellaArts.org
Through February 26
The inaugural Vertical Gallery Activation features a multimedia installation from Massachusetts artist Debra Fleury. Through watercolor-painted fabric hung with wire, Fleury evokes a sense of wonder and curiosity in viewers as they explore and experience the energy and evolution of her work.

MUSIC

RESTLESS
Concord Orchestra
ConcordOrchestra.com
December 4–5
Conductor Zeke Fetrow leads the orchestra in an inspiring program featuring Leonard Bernstein’s overture from West Side Story, Concerto for Flute by Carl Nielsen, and Symphony in D Minor by César Franck.

SING WE NOEL: SONGS OF PEACE AND JOY
Concord Women’s Chorus
ConcordWomensChorus.org
December 5
Join the Concord Women’s Chorus as they welcome the season! Celebrating the works of Mendelssohn, Dan Forrest, Ruth Morris Gray, and others, the show also features their traditional Audience Holiday Sing. 

Shai Wosner

| Courtesy of Opus 3 Artists

IMPROMPTUS
Concord Chamber Music
ConcordChamberMusic.org
December 6
Featured pianist Shai Wosner, whom Gramophone praised as “a Schubertian of unfaltering authority and character,” brings his trademark blend of intellect, imagination, and playfulness to a program exploring the spirit of improvisation. Pairing works by Schubert, Chopin, Dvořák, Gershwin, and Ives with a brief improvisation of his own, Wosner culminates the evening with Schubert’s transcendent final sonata, the B-flat Major Sonata, D. 960.

Livingston Taylor

| © Mim Adkins Photo

LIVINGSTON TAYLOR IN CONCERT
Presented by the Guitar Museum of New England
GuitarMuseum.org
December 17
Celebrate the season with Livingston Taylor’s warm, witty storytelling and soulful songs. Proceeds from this intimate evening of guitar, piano, and song will help build the museum. Performance at Theatre 144, Umbrella Arts. Tickets: GuitarMuseum.org/Events.

THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO
Opera51
Opera51.org
December 19–20
Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) is a singspiel-style opera, prized for arias like Osmin and Pedrillo’s comic drinking duet “Vivat Bacchus,” Belmonte’s “O wie ängstlich, o wie feurig,” and, of course, Konstanze’s “Martern aller Arten.” Remember the scene in the film Amadeus where the emperor is congratulating Mozart on his new opera? After much praise, the emperor hesitates, then says, “Occasionally, it seems to have . . . how shall one say . . . too many notes.” That opera was The Abduction from the Seraglio. See what you think!